Air crews facing jobs axe

MORE than 200 air crew at Manchester Airport have lost jobs and wages after the collapse of a charter company owned by an Australian millionaire.European Aviation, which based three jumbo jets at Manchester, has announced plans to axe 560 jobs.

MORE than 200 air crew at Manchester Airport have lost jobs and wages after the collapse of a charter company owned by an Australian millionaire.

European Aviation, which based three jumbo jets at Manchester and had regular holiday flights to Florida, has announced plans to axe 560 jobs.

Manchester will see 240 cabin crew go, while staff at Gatwick and the company's Bournemouth headquarters have also lost their jobs.

The company, which had embarked on a massive expansion programme, has indicated it will not pay outstanding wages.

Redundancy letters sent to staff yesterday from owner Paul Stoddart - the millionaire owner of the Minardi Grand Prix team - said the company could not continue in its present form because of "recent financial performance".

He continues: "I have to inform you that unfortunately the company is no longer in a position to meet your wages and your employment is terminated forthwith."

He said claims for unpaid wages should be made to the Department for Employment, which "will meet such claims up to statutory maximum limits".

One former employee, from Bolton, said: "It's disgusting. There isn't even an apology."

Royalty

It is a sad demise for the company set up in 1989 by former car dealer Paul Stoddart, 48.

He started the business when he bought a fleet of planes from the Royal Australian Air Force.

A spokesman for the airline, which is based at Bournemouth Airport, which is owned by the Manchester Airport Group, said just 40 of the 600 staff would remain with the air charter business at Bournemouth, and it would retain 60 workers at a spare parts business in Ledbury, Herefordshire.

The spokesman said: "The belief is a programme of expansion which was not justified has led to the problems.

"The management had been involved with a management consultancy.

"It is believed they had embarked on a course of expansion which could not be sustained and we have to conclude that that may have led to the redundancies."

The cuts amounted to "a very large percentage of the workforce, most of whom are related to cabin crew of the 747 that European Aviation has been running. They are expensive to crew.

"In terms of the numbers of people involved, the 747 would require the most number of cabin staff to fly."